Using a LEAF as home battery pack

Apologies if the question was already answered... or please point me in the right section of the forum.
We live in the Virgin Islands. We have a large solar array, producing more than we need. We wish to get off the grid (very bad and expensive power company). For that we were looking at almost $20k of batteries. Then it dawned on me -- for similar capacity and a bit more money, we could buy a used LEAF.
It may seem like an offense to some of you, but basically, we see the LEAF as batteries on wheels that could provide us with transportation for free now and then....
We realize all the drawbacks. If we take the car in the evening, no power in the house. If we run the battery low (too much driving, or car out the whole day and not charging), no power at night. We are OK with that.
We work at home so charging the LEAF is no issue. On an island, we never drive too far, like 20 miles a few times a week.
Can you please guide us on options to draw back power stored in the LEAF battery (we know we need an inverter and to connect it all to our solar system)?
Many many thanks!

There are several threads on here about V2G technology, such as:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=4799" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2095" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=9217" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It seems to be a hot topic in Japan, but I don't know if we will ever see it here, unfortunately.

V2g and Powerwall http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=19687&hilit=tesla+wall+pack&start=190" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; would be a great combo.

Your question seems so simple, and your desire is so logical that you would think this would be a no-brainer.

Yes, I can charge my Leaf using 100% solar power, and yes, I can output about 15 amps of pure sine wave 120vac power from the Leaf.

Not efficiently, and not at the same time, but for almost no $$$ investment, this is an easy to accomplish deal.

Having said that, this is NOT the way to do it correctly by any means.

No offense, but unless you start out by designing an off- grid storage based system, adding the storage capability to a grid tied micro inverter system (correctly) is not a simple dealy.

There are people on here who have done what you want, and done it the correct way.
In all honesty, this is why there is so much excitement in the solar world about the Tesla PowerWall.

http://www.teslamotors.com/powerwall" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tesla has designed an after the fact storage system for grid tied arrays where (hopefully) they have worked out all the little pesky things that make this concept really hard to implement in a real world trouble free manner.

KillaWhat said:

Yes, I can charge my Leaf using 100% solar power, and yes, I can output about 15 amps of pure sine wave 120vac power from the Leaf.

Click to expand...

Can you share some details on the first part?

camasleaf said:

KillaWhat said:

Yes, I can charge my Leaf using 100% solar power, and yes, I can output about 15 amps of pure sine wave 120vac power from the Leaf.

Click to expand...

Can you share some details on the first part?

Click to expand...

That part is easy.
Set the Brusa to Off.
Arduino board will not allow charging (pilot interrupt) until output of solar is above 3500 watts, and there you go.

keydiver said:

There are several threads on here about V2G technology, such as:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=4799" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2095" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=9217" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It seems to be a hot topic in Japan, but I don't know if we will ever see it here, unfortunately.

Click to expand...

This is the best thread right here:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=17879

smkettner said:

keydiver said:

There are several threads on here about V2G technology, such as:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=4799" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2095" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=9217" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It seems to be a hot topic in Japan, but I don't know if we will ever see it here, unfortunately.

Click to expand...

This is the best thread right here:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=17879

Click to expand...

Now that's doing it correctly!

The next question for me would be:

How much should we expect to pay a Junkyard for a Leaf Battery Pack from a totaled Leaf for each MY?

For larger battery capacity can multiple Leaf Battery Packs be connected in Parallel?

If multiple battery packs are wired up together how easily could that be used to "Quick Charge" your driving Leaf, then use the driving Leaf as additional storage for overnight use?

The next question for me would be:

How much should we expect to pay a Junkyard for a Leaf Battery Pack from a totaled Leaf for each MY?

$2500 to $3000 IMO.


For larger battery capacity can multiple Leaf Battery Packs be connected in Parallel?

Yes.
But you need to design the home power system with inverters for 220VAC, or DC source lights and the like (No sense converting DC to AC, and then BACK to DC for LED lighting, Right?)

I confess I didn't read the whole thread about what the guys in Norway did with their system, but you don't want or need the +/- 400 VDC that you will get from the Leaf pack as car configured to power the house.

If multiple battery packs are wired up together how easily could that be used to "Quick Charge" your driving Leaf, then use the driving Leaf as additional storage for overnight use?

Well that's sort of apples and oranges.

TRUE DCQC is a completely different animal.
There are guys on here that can make you and sell you DCQC units, but if QC is truly your desire, and if it were my application, rather than try to supply 40 to 60 kW , I would add a couple of Brusa's and use them as needed depending on power availability and need.

So what about using the stored power in the Leaf to run just one or two things, in an emergency? I am currently sitting in my dark home due to a power outage and have 50% power in my Leaf in the garage. I wish I could simply plug in my refrigerator to the Leaf and at least keep it going so my food doesn't go bad. I know I have seen converters that plug into the cigarette lighter type plug in cars and allow you to then plug things into a standard looking 110 3-prong outlet on the other end of the converter.

I am no engineer or electronics expert. Would I be able to plug a refrigerator into something like that and power it through a Leaf outlet, or would that draw way too much power?

Yes, you can. It's fairly easy, as described previously.

You connect an inverter to the Leaf 12V battery. Plug the fridge into the inverter. TURN ON THE LEAF, so that the traction battery replenishes the 12V battery, and you should be able to get 10kWh out of the car with the battery at 50%. With a 500 watt fridge, that should last 20 hours. Use the fattest, shortest wire possible from inverter to Leaf battery. I'm talking wire bigger around than battery jumper cables, because 500W/12V=42 amps.

You can even do this with a $130 Harbor Freight inverter, although purists will warn against them because they don't put out clean power. Caution: common refrigerators draw very high current when the motor is starting. Even if your fridge is rated at 3 amps, it will need much more than that for a few seconds when starting. That will blow the fuses in low-power inverters. I've measured my fridge at 3Amps running, 7Amps starting, and it's a modest refrigerator. So get an inverter rated for at least 1kW. For example:
http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-continuous3000-watt-peak-power-inverter-60601.html

Bob

Bufordleaf said:

So what about using the stored power in the Leaf to run just one or two things, in an emergency? I am currently sitting in my dark home due to a power outage and have 50% power in my Leaf in the garage. I wish I could simply plug in my refrigerator to the Leaf and at least keep it going so my food doesn't go bad. I know I have seen converters that plug into the cigarette lighter type plug in cars and allow you to then plug things into a standard looking 110 3-prong outlet on the other end of the converter.

I am no engineer or electronics expert. Would I be able to plug a refrigerator into something like that and power it through a Leaf outlet, or would that draw way too much power?

Click to expand...

This is done pretty routinely.
Here is my thread about the way I (and others) did it.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=13097